New Delhi: Sanjay Karmakar would often feel distressed seeing his 12-year-old daughter Misti wake up at 3:30am every morning and get ready for javelin training. She would cycle 4 km to reach the athletics academy situated on the outskirts of Malda in West Bengal, come back to attend school and repeat the drill in the evening.
Karmakar, a hawker at the Malda Railway station, didn’t have the means to support his daughter’s training. On his best day, Karmakar brings home ₹400 by selling homemade food at the station. Then, there are days when his income takes a hit.
Not being a licensed vendor means he is not always allowed to sell his meals inside the station. It is never enough to support a family of six, including three children, let alone spend on shoes, diet and training for his daughter. But Karmakar never stopped Misti from following her passion; borrowed shoes and arranged money from well-wishers to send her for competitions.
Now 16, Misti is among India’s most promising youth javelin throwers. On Thursday she will represent the country at the Asian Under-18 Athletics Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
On the back of her impressive showing in domestic meets that includes gold at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Patna last month, Misti has made the cut for the India team. She gave a personal best of 45.02m.
When she landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Misti called back home and excitedly spoke about her experience of taking her first flight. Karmakar could hardly believe that her daughter was travelling abroad and representing India.
“I could never imagine that she would travel outside India. I know nothing about sports and I don’t have the resources to fund her training. But seeing her drive to excel in sports, I knew she would progress. With my meagre source of income, I somehow run my family. I feel bad that I am not able to support her well enough,” Karmakar told HT over phone from Malda.
Misti took up the sport at the insistence of Asit Pal — a former University level sprinter who runs his academy. Pal saw the talent in her and introduced her to javelin.
“She has been training for four years. She has not missed a single training session, even on winter mornings, when we used to tell her to skip training. I supported her in whatever way I could. You need good quality shoes, diet that is beyond my capacity.”
“She travels with her coach. I have never been able to travel or bring her back from training because that would mean missing a day’s earning,” Karmakar says.
Last year, Karmakar was surprised to get a letter from Sports Authority of India (SAI) inviting Misti to train in SAI centre, Jalpaiguri. “That is a big relief. She now stays in hostel and trains there. Her game has improved.”
Knowing about her father’s financial condition, Misti’s demands were limited. “She never complained. I saved money to buy her clothes and shoes. For competitions, she needed better shoes. I was not able to afford it. I borrowed from other children in the academy who had extra shoes and jerseys and returned them after her match.”
For travel expenses, the local market association and councillor chips in. “They fund her train tickets. She has been travelling to Kolkata, Patna, Punjab. They also helped get her passport last month.”
When Misti returned to Malda after winning gold in Patna, she was welcomed with fanfare by the district sports association. A bigger celebration could be in store when she returns from Saudi Arabia.
